Interesting Documentary

I rented this from Netflix and really enjoyed it. It did a good job of discussing both the art and science of creating a sword.

I did not appreciate how many people were involved nor how difficult the process was until watching this video. I recommend it to anyone taking Kendo or Iaido.

Kendo-Guide.Com: Thank you for your review. I agree. It is amazing how many people are involved to make just one katana. And the process it takes is just amazing.

No wonder why a very good katana costs fortune and also cut very well.

And this documentary also tells us about Japanese manufacturing. If you have a chance to work with Japanese manufacturers, you can maybe still see that they sill have this sense of professionalism.

Their goal is not only create products. Their goal is to create products as perfect as possible. This is why the Japanese always stick to the routines and traditions. Well, I am not saying that all the Japanese are seeking perfection :)

So this is a part of the reason why we cannot get a point by just hitting the targets in kendo. We need a proper posture, proper kiai and proper way of using the sword to get a point in kendo. In other words, the process of how we strike is very very important.

So if you watch this documentary from that kind of point of view, you can also enjoy the documentary in a different way.

This episode is an answer to a great question by a long-time member, Ming. his question was "Must I strike my opponent as soon as he (she) crosses my striking distance, even when he(she) has not yet m…

Alex Bennett sensei gave Indianapolis Kendo Club a seminar on shinai keiko and kata keiko. This is one of the methods he introduced us to improve our strikes. Hope this helps with your kendo study. Hi…